I hadn’t been out in the field for a while. I was considered too valuable to do field work as my leadership qualities were what the Silver Shield’s wanted from me as well as to protect my pub which is owned by me. I was not even sure if there wasn’t more to it than that but I resented at times not taking an active hand in getting information or in the battles. It’s probably my Celtic blood that boils from time to time and feels I should lead from the front not in the rear with the gear.

So here I was out in the field we were in a store across the street from an ‘abandoned’ house. It was getting near nighttime and we were expecting activity soon. We refers to me. my sister-in-law Margareta with her double Desert Eagles, Scotch with his Claymore and lastly Jade Slade with her Battle Axe. I had my shield over my back. my sword on one hip and my BFG on the other. We were expecting trouble.

The house across the road was one of those two-story solitary on the corner jobs with a small year and fence. It had not been owned by anyone for over a year. It had not been paid much attention and most people felt it was just abandoned until one of our scouts spied a truck in front of it at 2am for about an hour. Two men had been going in and out of cellar doors on the backside and then drove off. Could be a couple of criminals with a secret stash but it could also be a vampire lair.

Once it was dark enough I nodded to Scotch and he headed off across the street. I pulled my BFG and Margareta did the same with her pistols. Scotch disappeared from sight briefly and then came back waving us forward. In silence we moved forward. Checking the opposite side we found the two outside cellar doors leading down in to the basement. The doors were shut and padlocked but the lock was pretty new and their were signs of people walking on the grass all over the place. I slide my shield off my shoulder and everyone took positions.

I fired my BFG at a very low setting at the lock and watched it disintegrate. I then reset my BFG for combat work and Scotch and Margareta pulled back the doors and suddenly three figures flew out of the cellar right at me and Jade. Clawed, screeching and fanged vampires did not surprise me or Jade, and one of them was literally split in half at the waist by Jade’s axe. I fired twice and the other two were vaporized. I was wondering when this was going to get hard. The air afterwards was completely quiet. I could see down into the cellar and could see that there were still four figures in the shadows. Jade and I advanced down the steps.

The first figure I could see clearly was woman with a spear. Her eyes glowed the tell-tale red of the vampire under her dark locks. Her body was shapely and her outfit did little to conceal it. She held up her hand.

“Apologies for the wild ones there is no way to control them”, She said and light but flower voice.

“No need, I needed to take the rust off my shooting skills. Still off a little, should have got all three”

I looked back and saw that Scotch and Margareta were covering the door like always and Jade was rubbing her thumb across her axe. I slide my BFG back in its holster to keep things a little less tense.

The woman motioned and three other vampires came from the shadows. They were typical Bloodsucker biker gang types. The woman seemed a little amused.

“Something funny lady?”

“Barkeep, I am actually a little disappointed. I have been longing to meet you and you seem not to be as much as I was expecting.”

“Most of my enemies feel that way right up until the moment my BFG goes off or my sword slashes them open.”

“True, one must never judge by appearance. I have a message for you should I ever see you.”

“From Mr. Lies no doubt?”

“If you mean the Master, yes. His message to you is this time you will not be so lucky. He has special plans for you and your wife.”

“Leave Tequila out of this.”

“Oh I wasn’t referring to Tequila. I meant your first wife.”

“She is dead. Became a vampire, my people killed her.”

The woman smiled again very wickedly.

“You sure of that?”

I stood for a second. I had ordered it but I had never seen the actual deed. I didn’t know who did it or how. I had simply trusted…

Damn it, someone screwed up or didn’t, I wasn’t sure.

“You are not sure are you? I tell you your first wife is ‘alive’ but as we know it.”

“Not alive then, just undead. I think you are lying to Mr. Lies is lying through you.”

“My Master said you would be skeptical but he will give proof.”

She reached to the table beside her and picked up a disk and tossed it to me. At that same moment she and her three friends made their move. I caught the disk with my one free hand and then went defensive behind my shield. The woman’s spear began to stab skillfully and furiously at my shield. I blocked every blow but it was taking all I had to do so. I could get my sword or BFG free with my hand taken up by holding a disk I didn’t want to drop. Jade had made short work of her first vampire but the problem of our position was apparent she was having trouble with the other two but Margareta’s pistols fired over head and one of them had their head explode. Scotch moved in alongside Jade in the tight confines with his Claymore and they had a two on one while I did my shield dance against my opponents Spear dance. Dance she did with grace and smoothness of an accomplished martial artist with a spear heightened by her vampire blood. If this kept up I was going to lose.

Scotch finally tipped things our way with a stab to the vampires chest and the woman changed tactics by kicking my shield hard enough to knock me backward. then she swept her spear butt under Scotch’s legs knocking him off his feet. Then she jumped back behind the table she had originally been standing next to. She laughed, threw the table at Jade and then bolted up the basement stairs into the house. Margareta’s pistols fired after her the whole way but never found a mark. We backed out of the basement back up the cellar steps not wanting to be flanked but all we heard was the breaking of glass, probably on the other side of the house and a faint laugher. Then there was silence.

I looked down at the Compact Disc in my hand. I had this terrible feeling I was about to hear the unmistakable sound of the shit hitting the fan if I watched it. There was also something else, that woman looked very familiar. Then it hit me, she could have done body and face double work for Oni Kim our nudist violinist slash double sword wielding vampire killer. What the hell was going on here!?!

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